Danny Morrison’s Position

Danny Morrison outlines his position to Brian Rowan in today’s Belfast Telegraph:

“At the time of my visit to the prison on the afternoon of Sunday July 5, 1981, the British Government had yet to even formulate its position, never mind proposing a ‘deal’.”

This is quite different from what is already well documented, both by Morrison himself and in Ten Men Dead, as well as being verified by Brendan Duddy at the Gasyard Debate when he confirmed the content of the the FOI documents as containing the offer he relayed to McGuinness.

In 2006 and 2009, Morrison created a timeline of events, published in Daily Ireland and An Phoblacht, in which he wrote:

“5 July
After exchanges, Mountain Climber’s offer (concessions in relation to aspects of the five demands) goes further than ICJP’s understanding of government position. Sinn Fein’s Danny Morrison secretly visits hunger strikers. Separately, he meets prison OC Brendan McFarlane, explains what Mountain Climber is offering should hunger strike be terminated.”

The details of that offer are outlined in Ten Men Dead on pages 292-294.

According to him now, ‘the British had yet to even formulate its position, never mind proposing a deal’. What then, was his purpose in visiting the prison on July 5 under special arrangements made by the British?

The evolution of Morrison’s position is akin to the evolution of Bik McFarlane’s memory.

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